Rumors, rumors, and more rumors!

[EsperFlame]

Actually, the X-Box does have three new exclusive characters! It has the Hucaseal, the Ramarl, and the Fomar! Though these characters also appear on the GCN version as well. Any new char classes beyond that wasa rumor. The X-Box version is the exact same game as the GCN version. If you have the GCN version then really there's only one reason to switch over and that's for the USB Adapter or to use X-Box Live. For those switching over to use a keyboard you should know that a keyboard for the GameCube will be out around X-Mas time, before the US release of the X-Box PSO version. I really reccomend you all with GCN versions just stick with it. GCN's community should easily be 3x-5x larger as the fact GCN supports both Dial-Up and Broadband as opposed to just the one. Not to mention the FSOD problem has really clearedup a bit. I haven't had an FSOD in like 2 weeks. As for cheating and such, I have yet to see any proof of any cheating online. We've all heard the rumors of how people are going around duping and FSOD'ing others but we've only heard it from like a few people. If these were really a bog problem then I think we'd here a larger outcry of protest. Ever since the GCN PSO came out, rumors of the bad kind have surfaced from the day it was released. People crying Nintendo doesn't make the BBA anymore, cries of people saying Sega won't be supporting the game, and my favorite, that Sega has stopped producing the game. These rumors have plagued PSO from day one and I find it disturbing that so many of you buy into these rumors. I honestly hope that when they launch it on X-Box it too doesn't suffer all of these rumors. PSO is beyond system loylaty. We're a community of players who desire nothing but good times and happy gaming for all.

[Toyzferall]

Thank you! A lot of that needed to be said. The only thing is, I was too lazy to type it all. ^.^;;

[EsperFlame]

Please forgive all the typo's as my computers keyboard I think is going out on me or dying.

[Sapphire87]

What?! No Photon Whip? Dragon Elk? What about Forest 3 or the "Naming your team [PSO ALLSTARS] ensures you'll find rares" theory? But seriously, EsperFlame, I think I've seen you before on the Maidencircuit boards. I used to post there but haven't done so in awhile now that I've discovered the joys of the sexy, underappreciated HUnewearl. You're correct about the X-box. Bill Gates should realize by now that a billion dollars does NOT a successful system make.

[DJ_Monkey]

Actually, the Xbox version will support the Voice chat function. Oh, and need I mention that Xbox Live has over 200 thousand players on it, and that the modem is built-in to the system, making it easier to set up. Plus, the fact that MS is handling the servers, NOT Sonic Team, is a plus, since MS is known for their great gaming servers(nearly zero bugs[go ahead, bring out your "It's Microsoft" wisecracks, they don't work], so there won't be any *SODs in the Xbox version). There are more broadband users out there than you think, people.

Will the Gamecube have 200 thousand modems sold for it in the next few months? Hell no. The Xbox will probably have over 500 thousand online users by February, and I am willing to bet you that the Xbox version of PSO will have at least as many users as the DC versions did(that is, thousands at one time).

[Blur2168]

word to that Esper. It seems like every time i turn around there's some new rumor about blahblah the GCN version is soooooooooooooooo bad and Xbox is gonna b really goooood cuz microsoft , blah blah . personally i am very, VERY happy w/ the GCN ver. and since im not shelling out $250+ for a big black coffee table anytime soon, im gonna stick w/ this. IMO, voice chat in PSO is gonna be annoying as hell in lobbies ( i wuz over a friend's a few days ago who has XboxLive and i wuz playing Whacked! and there are so many idiots on it is crazy. using all these stupid voice masking filters and jstu making stupid comments, it wuz really annoying). And sicne there's gonna be a keybord for da Cube out b4 Xmas, i can definatly hold out till then. thanks for the being the ever-present voice of reason, Esper

[Eum]

I'm really not taking either side, as I think it all comes down to personal preference. This entire debate on which version will be better is pretty ridiculous. We're all fans of Phantasy Star Online, let's not rival each other.

Anyhow, I was posting to ask a question. Because Microsoft will be running the new servers, how do you think it will affect special events, and such? I know Sonic Team added things to lobbies for holidays and such; do you think Microsoft will do the same? It's really not important, and it isn't even close to a deciding factor, I'm just curious. How has Microsoft done things in the past? ^_^

[Ghen]

Yo DJ, who gave you the fanboy shirt? ;p

[shawnhpi]

umm ok/././///. there are GCN fans and XB fans.. stop trying to tell people what to liek people...

both are played the same..

[Ian D]

I hope that at least 1/2 of the Xbox Live! people play PSO, I mean, we all like it... but to a lot of people the game's not so hot. :/

[faceless]

On 2002-11-29 21:46, Ghen wrote:
Yo DJ, who gave you the fanboy shirt? ;p



EsperFlame did...

this whole thread is fanboy laden... all we need now is someone to come in saying "the PS2 version will be better"...

[mystic_knight]

I know its run by different company's, but i hope for the x boxers (even though i dont have 1 myself and dont plan on getting 1) that x box live voice chatting doesnt end up like yahoo voice chat. That place just sux, the few times it works it ends up bein some moron making dumb noises or playin loser music into the mic.

[LollipopLolita]

oh thank god there's no new changes, i can't imagine doing all the hundreds of updates again. *faint*

[MalambisBZ]

I wish there was atleast 1 paragraph break in that post, kinda heard to read.

Anyway, why bash either version? It's really down to personal preference. You can't change someones personal preference, it just ends up causing arguments.

GCN version is good, and X-Box version will be good.
It's the same game on both systems.

LOL, faceless, I couldn't have said it better.

I'm playing PSO on my sisters GCN and will move to the X-Box version when it's out. I'm not expecting much of anything to change between them. I bought the X-Box because it fitted my personal preferences the best.

Lets keep the PSO community together, we like PSO for the game it is, not the system it's on.

[FinalMasterM]

On 2002-11-29 22:58, faceless wrote:

EsperFlame did...

this whole thread is fanboy laden... all we need now is someone to come in saying "the PS2 version will be better"...


It will be too, I mean, the PS2 has been out longer and has tons of die-hard RPG fans waiting for any RPG to hold them over til the final word on FFXI.

[EsperFlame]

I think the problem is you all missed the big point of my post and thats the fact I'm sick of all these rumors. We've all been duped into believing all of these horrible rumors and it's a strange coincidence that all of the rumors seem to end in the common theme of "GCN PSO sucks, X-Box PSO will be better".

The point I was trying to make is both games are equally good...down to the crappy programming by Sonic Team. X-Box will suffer FSOD's and such just like GameCube does. They both use the exact same programing code. the only difference is the disc typeand booting file for the systems. I'm here not because I love PSO GameCube or PSO X-Box. I'm here because I love PSO.

Another thing I keep hearing on here that has NOTHING to do with PSO is how some of you whine about how GCN won't have much on online gaming like X-Box will. Do you hear me whining about how X-Box will never have as many online games as a PC? The fact that I game through Dial-Up, the X-Box for me isn't even a choice for online gaming but I still bought one. It's a great system and I'm very happy with the fact I bought a used one after the price drop. Halo is alot of fun but overall that's about the only game I enjoy right now. I plan on getting Mechassault for X-Mas but my point is both system have there ups and downs and I'm sick of hearing system fanboys saying thier system is better.

[EsperFlame]

I'm just typing to bring this back up to the top so people can read this. I feel this is a topic people should read at least once.

[ChokingVictim]

you say potayto, i say potahto...

[Numair]

Well right before everyone ran off to GC pso every time i used to enter a lobby on ver2 DC people were arguing over whether GC pso was gonna be better than X box pso i mean thats all they did for like 4 weeks straight drove me nutz! http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_mad.gif btw your right about neither of them being better than the other

[Cruzn15]

DJ's just defending his system choice from you people who subtley through in Bill Gates attacks like he slaughtered your family.

[Cruzn15]

DJ's just defending his system choice from you people who subtley throw in Bill Gates attacks like he slaughtered your family.

[PopCultureMonkey]

Arguing over which console is best again, eh?

It makes no sense.

You don't get people flaming one another's choice in microwave oven, do you?

So many great games on both, so many fun things to do. Buy them both.

As for PSO, I shall be sticking with the GC version - It all comes down to this: Once the servers are lionked, you can guarantee that the quality of the players on the Gamecube will far excel the XBox version. There are so few XBoxes knocking around in Japan, it stands to reason there'll be very few PSO players from there, and since those guys tend to kick our western asses left, right and centre, i'd much rather play with them.

I also believe that the GC version will have many more players, even with the large uptake of the XBox Live service purely because of the huge Japanese contingent and because I feel that the majority of XBox owners (Of which I am one) would rather play 'Generic First-Person Bloodbath 4' online than PSO.

I shall continue to use my GC for PSO. On my XBox I shall be enjoying Tekki. Enough with the bitching - There's lots of fun to be had, either way.


And as a short post-script: Voice Chat is NO bonus whatsoever. As anyone who's used XBox Live will attest - It's so clutter with idiots who just won't shut up about the most inane crap, using AWFUL voice filters that at least 80% of the time, the only option is to mute half the players.

Basically, I'm saying 'don't hate the game, hate the morons playing the thing and making it utterly crap for you'.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: PopCultureMonkey on 2002-12-01 17:08 ]</font>

[AzureBlaze]

Keyboard?
EsperFlame...you mentioned a KB coming to the GC USA around Xmas time? I am in such desperate need of a KB, I can't even say. One of my hotkeys is "I need a keyboard dammit!" on each of my chars. Can you point out a store, or bring up a solid fact? It would really help to get rid of the 'you'll never speak' anxiety. (I do not consider the mess created by the soft-keyboard 'speaking'.....) ANY info would be appriciated, gah.

[DJ_Monkey]

On 2002-11-29 21:46, Ghen wrote:
Yo DJ, who gave you the fanboy shirt? ;p

I'm not a fanboy, I don't even have an Xbox...I'm just saying that Xbox Live has many more players, Sonic Team won't be able to mess up the servers, and the fact that you can use Voice Chat(and if anyone pisses you off, there is an option to mute them) and be able to use any keyboard you want(provided it is USB).

The FSODs are not caused by crappy program code...they are caused by a misconfiguration in the servers. Sonic Team does nothing about these misconfigurations, so that is why you people have FSODs.

Let's face it...Sonic Team is very lazy. They need to get up and fix their servers. It pisses me off when the game freezes on my because of an error that Sonic Team could have easily avoided by spending a few more minutes when they set up their servers.

No offense to all you dial-up users...but a broadband-only network is the best thing a game can have. Dial-up is an endangered connection type...and games that don't allow dial-up have less connection problems. Xbox Live is broadband-only because the game developers asked Microsoft to make a network that only allowed broadband users so the game doesn't lag every minute.

Updates could be downloaded to the Hard drive...saving you from having to trade in your game for a new version(that's what you get for being impatient, you importers). Sonic Team will still have a say in what happens on the PSO servers, so new weapons could be added, or other things... We don't know, and we won't know until the game is released. I'm pissed off that Sega is basically screwing over the Gamecube users by not releasing a keyboard(which they would've done if they were smart), and I hope that the Xbox version will be better supported(which it will, due to both the voice chat and the keyboard adapter).

[EsperFlame]

The possible release of a keyboard forGCN so far is unset. Sega announced that they were in negotiations with other third party companies to publish a keyboard. Currently any release dates are rumors. Supposedly they were gonna have have it out sometime in the beginning of December, but I'm betting if they do release one, they will hold it off til X-Mas cause they know they will sell a ton of them then.

[Kayumi]

Some words on dialup versus broadband.

I'm in Ontario, in Canada, and I gotta mention that around here, there isn't a single good broadband ISP. I get more reliable connection--and speed, believe it or not--on my dialup than I have been able to on DSL or cable in the past two years. With frequent service loss on the cable ISPs due to numerous causes--including one instance where a disgruntled ex-employee took a hatchet to one of the main lines which took half a week to locate and repair--and the main DSL provider charging ridiculous amounts for "bandwidth overage" and taking over an hour to load pages which I now load in less than a minute on dialup...well, to me, the choice is clear.

Just something to consider on the subject of whether or not dialup is endangered--I know more and more people who are switching BACK to dialup these days.

(And for the record, I have no plans to get an X-box to switch, but that's partly because I can't afford one and mom would kill me if I bought another system, and partly because I like my cube just fine.)

[Kent]

On 2002-11-29 17:01, EsperFlame wrote:
Actually, the X-Box does have three new exclusive characters! It has the Hucaseal, the Ramarl, and the Fomar! Though these characters also appear on the GCN version as well.


Exclusive characters?

HUcaseal, RAmarl, and FOmar are not exclusive to the Xbox version, as they are also on the GameCube version. You must not know the meaning of exclusive...



On 2002-12-01 17:04, PopCultureMonkey wrote:
Voice Chat is NO bonus whatsoever. As anyone who's used XBox Live will attest - It's so clutter with idiots who just won't shut up about the most inane crap, using AWFUL voice filters that at least 80% of the time, the only option is to mute half the players.


These awful voice masks you speak of are rarely use at all. I play MechAssault and MotoGP over Xbox Live all the time, and very, very few people use voice masks at all. I don't know what games you've played online through Xbox Live, but in my many hours of experience, most of the people aren't so incredibly annoying as you make it sound. There are a few people that get on one's nerves, but that can be easily solved by a muting, which actually isn't needed very often.

[ChokingVictim]

good, if people use voice mask i won't be able to tell i'm getting my ass handed to me by some 12 year old.....


le sigh

[Munki]

On 2002-12-01 21:32, DJ_Monkey wrote:

The FSODs are not caused by crappy program code...they are caused by a misconfiguration in the servers. Sonic Team does nothing about these misconfigurations, so that is why you people have FSODs.


Then how do you explain the lock ups offline? I would wager some of those are communication based (between client and server), but some of this stuff happens offline as well.



Let's face it...Sonic Team is very lazy. They need to get up and fix their servers. It pisses me off when the game freezes on my because of an error that Sonic Team could have easily avoided by spending a few more minutes when they set up their servers.


I don't think it is laziness... more inexperience if anything. And I have not gotten a single FSOD yet, and I don't think it is a common occurance anymore. Most people I do hear that get it are using Dial Up as well...



No offense to all you dial-up users...but a broadband-only network is the best thing a game can have. Dial-up is an endangered connection type...and games that don't allow dial-up have less connection problems. Xbox Live is broadband-only because the game developers asked Microsoft to make a network that only allowed broadband users so the game doesn't lag every minute.

Broadband will not be the standard means of communication for awhile longer. There are far too many people that cannot get broadband yet for it to be considered the new standard. Once 75% or more of the country can hook up to broadband, then maybe we are talking. I think MS put the broadband only hookup on the Xbox as a look to the future. But it is by no means the primary connection method yet.



Updates could be downloaded to the Hard drive...saving you from having to trade in your game for a new version(that's what you get for being impatient, you importers). Sonic Team will still have a say in what happens on the PSO servers, so new weapons could be added, or other things... We don't know, and we won't know until the game is released.

You can do this on the GC and DC as well... just much smaller space. This assumes that ST makes new downloaded content. I figure the best we will see is new quests... if it isn't just the GC quests and nothing else that is. Also, MS kinda frowns upon patching their games using the hard drive. Trying to keep it more a console than a PC I guess. If you start having to worry about what version of the game you have...

Xbox PSO will be a slightly improved version of GC. It makes no sense for ST to fork out a bunch of $$ in developing Xbox only content. Especially since Xbox is small in japan, and the GC version has a how many month jump in the US? Sales numbers for the Xbox version will not be amazing. Now, maybe ST will make a Xbox first Ep 3 later on... Sega and MS seem to have quite a friendship going on...

[Siegfried]

To comment on the previous comment (gah, don't feel like quoting), I hope they still continue producing the newer episodes for both systems, and possible future platforms released by these companies. It's about harmony between the users who play the game. We all bought it for fun and the experience of it. So enjoy it as a whole, and don't let your personal views get in your way of seeing others.

On a lighter note; there are some terms I'm not familiar with mentioned here (mainly because I've never played online)

Beats? (I'm guessing the numbers in the bottom right hand corner of the start menu)

FSOD? (No idea)

[SailorDaravon]

I pretty indifferent either way. I will jump ship however, if on the GC version:

1)We don't get a keyboard out by the time the Xbox version is out. This will probably happen though.

2)They don't fix the PPPoE BSOD problem. I literally cannot play online for more than 5-10 minutes usually. The exception is when I play with broadband people only, which leads me to the obvious conclusion that dialup people in the room make me get BSOD. Although I enjoy offline play to an extent, on the DC version 90% of my time was online, and I know I'd be playing a LOT more if I could play online.